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Quick answer

For a US shopper, LingQ Premium was listed at $14.99 for one month, $119.99 for 12 months paid upfront (about $10/month), or $215.76 for 24 months paid upfront ($8.99/month), checked October 22, 2026. Free allows 20 saved words/phrases and five imports. Buy the shortest term that matches a study habit you have already established; a lower monthly equivalent is not a lower upfront bill.

Pricing scope: USD prices displayed on the official LingQ web signup page when checked October 22, 2026. App-store bills, discounts, taxes, payment-currency conversions and offers at checkout may differ. This is not a price quote for every country or billing channel.

LingQ prices: what is charged today?

Web membership	Advertised rate	Charge for the term	Trade-off
Free	$0	$0	20 saved words/phrases, five imports, one playlist; useful as a method trial.
Premium, monthly	$14.99/month	$14.99 each month	Higher rate; relatively easy to reassess after one cycle.
Premium, 12 months	$10/month equivalent	$119.99 upfront	You fund a year even if you quit early.
Premium, 24 months	$8.99/month equivalent	$215.76 upfront	Lowest listed rate; largest commitment on basic Premium.
Premium Plus, monthly	$29.99/month	$29.99 each month	For extra listed AI/transcription tools rather than basic import access.
Premium Plus, 12 months	$22.50/month equivalent	$269.99 upfront	Adds an annual commitment; check AI-use needs first.

Source: LingQ’s official USD web pricing table (including displayed upfront totals), checked October 22, 2026. An effective monthly rate is the upfront charge divided by the number of paid months; it is not a monthly installment for the annual or two-year option. Prices can change without this guide updating automatically.

What exactly does Free limit?

LingQ’s Free/Premium comparison lists access to audio-backed content but places limits on the vocabulary and importing mechanics: 20 saved words and phrases, five lessons created from imported content and one audio playlist on the free tier. Premium removes the saved-word and import caps and includes functions such as flashcard quizzes, progress statistics, full-sentence translation, auto-generated audio for imports and offline access. The August 2026 official explainer provides the same numerical limits.

This means “Is LingQ free?” has two answers: yes, a free account exists and can demonstrate the method; no, it is not equivalent to Premium for someone who plans to save vocabulary indefinitely and regularly import learning material. Test with a representative lesson, not a five-minute sign-up screen.

Premium or Premium Plus: are the additional AI tools useful to you?

Premium supports the central reading, listening and vocabulary/import workflow. The current plan page separately advertises for Premium Plus: 6× audio transcription, AI voices, Advanced Lynx Chat and AI Simplified Lessons. The page does not by itself establish precise per-account credit allocations, compatibility across every language, or that AI output is more accurate than a human tutor. Do not assume the Plus label means unlimited AI use.

Start with ordinary Premium if your primary goal is importing readable material and keeping a vocabulary record. Consider Plus only if a specific AI or transcription limitation you have encountered is solved by a verified Plus entitlement in your account. Ask LingQ support to clarify any credit or language cap before paying an annual Plus bill.

The commitment trap

A 24-month subscription appears cheaper because the rate is shown per month. The actual current Premium payment is $215.76 upfront. If you stop using the service after two months, the nominal monthly equivalent does not retroactively turn the purchase into a two-month subscription.

How much do different study horizons cost?

The following is a budget scenario, not a savings promise. It uses only the list prices above and assumes uninterrupted, unchanged USD pricing on the same web billing channel, no discount or tax adjustment, and cancellation at the relevant boundary.

You expect to use LingQ for…	Shorter exposure	Longer-term comparison	Reasonable approach
1 month	$14.99 monthly	The $119.99 annual plan would be a much bigger upfront outlay	Choose one month while testing.
3 months	3 × $14.99 = $44.97	The current annual upfront price remains $119.99	Three monthly cycles reduce commitment risk.
12 months	12 × $14.99 = $179.88	$119.99 upfront for the 12-month Premium term	Annual is cheaper on these assumptions if you actually use a year.
24 months	24 × $14.99 = $359.76	$215.76 upfront for 24-month Premium	The two-year option has the lowest listed total for 24 full months, but the most lock-in.

Do not compare these rows against Premium Plus without confirming you need the Plus features: that is a different scope of service. A useful decision rule is to first prove a consistent reading habit for several weeks, then decide whether paying ahead matches your likely usage—not your aspirational future self.

Renewal, cancellation and refunds: three different decisions

1. Recurring renewal is the default

The LingQ signup page says membership fees are charged upfront for the selected duration and recur until canceled. It also states no setup or cancellation fee for its listed memberships. Put the renewal date in your calendar before purchasing a year or more.

2. Stopping future payments and deleting an account are not the same action

LingQ’s Terms of Service, section C describes using Settings/Account/Change Plan to downgrade to Free, with a cancellation taking effect at the end of the paid term. By contrast, the signup FAQ describes “Cancel your account” as immediate account deletion. An older LingQ downgrade help article also distinguishes changing the plan to Free from deleting the account.

The wording is not perfectly synchronized across LingQ’s public pages, especially concerning retention of saved vocabulary and user-created content after downgrade: its terms warn that content may be deleted at the billing-period end, while help discussions describe alternative retention options. Avoid any irreversible action until you confirm your specific account’s options in writing with LingQ support. If preserving your learning archive matters, export or back it up where your account allows before downgrading.

3. A refund is not the same as canceling a renewal

LingQ’s payment terms, section B state that an initial Premium subscriber who is dissatisfied in the first 30 days is entitled to a full membership-fee refund. The same section also states that billed periods are generally non-refundable and that unused or partial months are not credited. Read both clauses together, and contact LingQ promptly about the first-purchase window if relevant. For an app-store purchase, verify the checkout provider’s terms rather than assuming web conditions transfer unchanged.

Before canceling or downgrading

Locate the billing receipt, confirm the original payment channel, check the next renewal date, distinguish “downgrade” from “delete account,” and ask support how stored words, imports and progress are handled for your plan. Keep the cancellation confirmation.

Is LingQ Lifetime available?

LingQ’s official lifetime offer page describes a lifetime Premium membership for one target language. That is not the same entitlement as a recurring subscription used across multiple languages. The accessible public offer page did not display a reliable current USD checkout total during this check. As a result, this guide does not invent a lifetime price or promise the offer will be available for your target language.

If you consider it, verify the exact one-language license, real checkout total, account transfer/retention rules and refund terms before you compare its break-even point with a conventional subscription. A “lifetime” badge without those terms cannot support an honest savings calculation.

Who should stay Free, choose monthly, or prepay?

Stay Free if you have not established that the reader and lesson selection suit you; use the limited access to examine the interface.
Pay monthly if you are testing imported media, a particular target language, or a new routine. One month reduces the downside of a poor fit.
Consider annual Premium after several weeks of actual usage and if you intend to rely on import/word tracking across a year.
Consider 24 months only when continuity is realistic and the larger nonrefundable upfront exposure is acceptable.
Consider Plus or Lifetime only after verifying the specific additional entitlement and checkout rules—not for a generic “best value” badge.

Check current LingQ plans and trial access

Bottom line on LingQ cost

For a US web buyer, basic Premium’s current trade-off is clear: $14.99 monthly flexibility versus $119.99/year or $215.76/two years paid in advance. The right choice is not automatically the cheapest advertised monthly number. It is the shortest commitment that matches your demonstrated plan for using LingQ, with explicit attention to recurring charges, content retention and refund limits.

Source check: Official USD pricing/free-tier matrix, terms B–C, one-language lifetime offer, free-vs-paid explainer, checked October 22, 2026. The quoted prices are vendor-posted amounts, not a verified individual checkout or a global price guarantee.